Whether a company had been handed down to you, or you built your business from scratch, nobody can give their 100% all the time – your brain will surely fizzle out.

In such overwhelming times, taking a break and stepping away from the business world for a few days is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it helps regain your confidence and work efficiency, after letting your engines cool down. A break like this also helps you come back to your business with a clearer mind, and better ideas for the future.

However, the concept is not popular among the masses. According to a study conducted by Ondeck Capital, only 57% of small business owners planned to take a vacation. This is mainly because of a common fear that your absence means decreased profits.

That is not the case – not unless you create a self-sufficient working system. Here is how:

Have a solid team

The only way you can make sure your business runs smooth while you’re away is if you are willing to pass the responsibility to your staff in the meantime.

Such a decision is hardly the easiest to make, but having a solid team you can trust lessens the burden immensely. Not only should they be trustworthy and have highly valued work ethics, but they should also be trained to work specifically when you’re gone. This includes directions for what to do if an emergency occurs, who leads certain departments of the business, who records their daily procedures for you to check as an owner, and more.

(Bonus tip: cloud-based POS systems like Oscar have employee management systems integrated, so that you can analyse their activities and effects on your business anywhere, anytime!

Create a manual

This acts as the brain of your business while you’re away. For this reason, it records many pieces of information, including contact information, customer service procedures, hardware and software instructions, store rules and regulations.

Therefore, extra attention should be given while creating it; it must contain all the important functions of your store, without missing a step. It must be searchable and comprehensible, so that your employees don’t bombard you with emails if a problem arises. For a rare situation not mentioned in the manual, the employees can infer with you as the owner, and create any addition themselves.

Set areas of focus in advance

This comes to play weeks – or even months – before you plan your vacation. You need to organise your company’s goals, and divide them into achievable areas of focus. Sit with your team and allot them to everyone, so that your entire team gets the same picture as you.

At this point, your aim should not only be survival – it should be to strive to success. Therefore be ready to go the extra mile even if you’re not taking part in the race; let your employees manage parts of the business, like tiny cogs helping to run the entire machine well. This way, you can be sure your company will never fall short, even when you’re not around.

Empower your employees

This goes without saying, but employees have to handle your business when you’re not present. You suddenly announcing that you’re leaving for two weeks will surely displace your team, who depend on you.

Make it a habit to give them confidence to run your business well when you’re not around. Give them enough liberty to make core decisions without second-guessing themselves. You can start with small steps; the Oscar POS software lets you give your employees access to some parts of the Oscar dashboard, letting them gain insight on data like sales, inventory levels, reports and more.

This gives your employees confidence when it comes to making quick, calculated decisions ensuring your business’s prosperity, even during your absence.

Once in a while, a break is well-deserved – but that does not mean that your business has to suffer for it. With proper training, a good team with an even better management system, and empowerment to excel, any business can surely reach the stars – even when you’re on the ground.